Media releases

  • Brock research finds children influence parents’ sport fandom

    MEDIA RELEASE: R00228 – 25 October 2016

    When it comes to sports team loyalties, families come second according to research from Brock University.

    Sport Management professors Craig Hyatt and Shannon Kerwin have been analyzing preliminary data from their research project, Understanding the intersection between fandom and parenting, and the indication is that many families are divided when it comes to the teams they support.

    “It is becoming very common to find family members cheering for different teams,” says Hyatt, and associate professor in sport management.

    “Traditionally, we think it is parents who influence their children’s fandom preferences, but what we are seeing, far more than we expected, is that children are motivated to pick teams in competition with another family member’s preferred team,” says Hyatt.

    “We are frequently hearing comments such as, it would be great if my brother’s team lost so I can give him a hard time about it,” or “my dad likes to taunt me about my team,” or “I decided to cheer for that team to annoy my mom.”

    The information being collected through Hyatt and Kerwin’s research, in collaboration with Professor Larena Hoeber and PhD student Katherine Sveinson in the Faculty of Kinesiology and Health Studies at the University of Regina, suggests that children are also impacting their parents’ fandom choices.

    “There’s growing evidence that parents are choosing which teams to cheer for based on their children’s preferences. In instances where an individual’s team is eliminated, the parent will then start supporting their child’s team because it means something to them. Cheering for this secondary team provides a parent-child bonding opportunity,” explains Hyatt.

     When asked to speculate the reasons behind this, Hyatt suggests it may be the combination of two important cultural shifts.

    “Every generation of parent seems to be more involved in spending leisure time with their children. Parents are expected to be emotionally involved and actively encourage their child’s interests. As a result, we are seeing vast majorities of parents following certain sports and teams they would otherwise have no interest in.”

    Advances in technology also put a lot of pressure on parents to keep up and stay informed.

    “With 24-hour access to sport highlights and analysis, there is nothing a fan can do better to get information than go online. In the 1970s, we cheered for local teams because that is what we had access to, but now, it is possible to cheer for any team, anytime, without ever being in the same city.”

    Hyatt and Kerwin hope to have their analysis complete later this fall with the goal of sharing their findings at the 2017 North America Society for Sport Management conference in Denver.

    The study is still looking for parents who are fans of professional sport teams and who have children between the ages of 10 and 20. Contact Professor Hyatt (chyatt@brocku.ca) for more information.

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

    * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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    Categories: Media releases

  • Brock professor available to discuss dangers of ransomware

    EXPERT ADVISORY: R00227 – 24 October 2016

    Friday’s cyber attack that knocked out some of the world’s top websites has been called a “stunning breach of global Internet stability,” and is a reminder of how much of an issue cyber security has become.

    October is Cyber Security Awareness Month and more attention is being drawn to the increasing prevalence and sophistication of another internet security problem — phishing and ransomware scams.

    Teju Herath, Goodman School of Business Associate Professor of Information Systems, teaches courses on information assurance and holds an Advanced Certificate in Information Assurance.
     
    In a Globe and Mail op-ed co-written with Goodman School of Business Associate Professor of Operations Management Michael Armstrong, Herath explains ransomware and why the risks are heightened with this particular type of security breach.

    “Typical hackers steal and sell valuable data such as credit card numbers or passwords and then find customers to buy that data; however, ransomware hackers sell data back to its owners,” explains Herath.
    “If your computer is infected by ransomware, your files will be encrypted to render them inaccessible until you pay a ransom.”
    The FBI estimated that more than $209-million was paid in U.S. ransoms over just three months earlier this year.

    Ransomware specialists are becoming more astute and no longer need to ride the coat tails of emails to infect a whole network of computers.

    Herath says computer users should run antivirus programs to detect threats, keep operating systems and applications updated, think twice before clicking on unexpected email attachments and back up files on a regular basis.
    Herath is available to comment on:
    •    The risks and dangers of ransomware
    •    What computer users and IT departments can do to defend themselves

    For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

    * Dan Dakin, Media Relations Officer, Brock University ddakin@brocku.ca, 905-688-5550 x5353 or 905-347-1970

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    Categories: Media releases